In the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, drones are well known for their military uses, whether for surveillance or air strikes. They have even won literary acclaim, with the recent publication of a thriller by an author writing under the pseudonym Doa, whose title, “Pukhtu primo” is a clear allusion to this part of the world.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs often calls on the skills and experience of its staff. This is a form of more or less indirect mutual help among colleagues, of transmission of knowledge which I support and take part in whenever I can, as during the “Careers Day” organized by the French Lycée in Vienna, Austria.

Ever since the closure of our embassy in Mogadishu in 1991, the French Embassy in Nairobi has been responsible for Somalian affairs. This is my 32nd mission to the country, so I have quite a few memories of it by now.

It is Friday evening in Warsaw, an icy night in November 2013. For the international climate negotiations that have lasted for two weeks already, this Friday evening is a deadline. The plane tickets have been booked for the participants to return home the following day.

Less than a fortnight after the municipal elections in France, the Afghans were in turn called to the ballot boxes on 5 April for two elections: like in France, these included local elections. But they also included the first round of the presidential elections.